I Have a Heart, Why Don't You?
by Aya Ayame
Summary: Alice finds a picture of a mysterious girl, and Ace is the only one that can tell her the story of this girl.  What secrets lie with her, and what influence did she have with Julius? JuliusxOC. Rating'll change.
1. Story of a Girl

_This is the story of a girl,_

_Who cried a river_

_And drowned the whole world!_

_While she looked so sad in photographs,_

_I absolutely love her when she smiles._

_~Absolutely (Story of a Girl) by Nine Days_

Alice wandered slowly through one of the many halls in Wonderland's Clock Tower. Though it was true Alice had been living there for quite sometime, she had never actually taken the time to familiarize herself with the place. So seeing as it had been night for a good three hours since she woke up, Alice thought now would be a lovely time to do so.

About four hours later, Alice was sure she had walked through the entire Clock Tower. When almost out of nowhere, she saw a hallway she must have missed on her lackadaisical tour.

_Things here just keep getting curiouser and curiouser._ Alice thought as she walked toward the hall. _I'm sure this hallway wasn't here before, but I guess everything in this country is always full of surprises._

Once Alice entered the hall, she saw a wide array of pictures lining the pale blue walls. All the pictures were of those who had faces, or held importance. Alice thought most of these people ranged from angry to depressed, from powerful to defeated. There was one picture though that particularly caught Alice's attention.

The picture was of a girl roughly Alice's age, but may have been a little bit older. The girl in the picture was sitting in a grand ebony chair that had crimson red cushions and accents, and also had pretty clawed feet. She wore a lovely red corset that had intricate fleur de lis stitched in black, and had sheer black sleeves. The skirt of the dress was black to match the accents of her corset, and reached down to her knees. Rather than having draped look to it, the skirt had a wrinkled look, which surprisingly made it look magnificent. To finish the look, the girl wore red and black striped knee highs and black lace up boots.

Looking at the girl's appearance, Alice first noticed her long silver hair was in a high ponytail that fell to the middle of her back. Her skin was a pale color, that gave her a ghostly appearance, and a small smile rested on the girl's lips. What captivated Alice the most, however; was the girl's eyes. Her eyes were a striking red, almost so red that they gave off an eerie red glow. Though the girl was smiling in the picture, it never touched her eyes. In fact, tears were falling from them ever so lightly.

_Such a tragic beauty._ Alice thought, completely mesmerized by the sad girl.

In fact, Alice was so engrossed in the picture, that she didn't even notice a certain Knight of Hearts come to stand behind her.

Smirking to himself, the Knight leaned down to Alice's ear, whispering, "You really should pay more attention to your surroundings Alice. You just might get hurt if you don't."

A gasp left Alice's mouth, as she whipped around to see the man's face mocking her lightly. Putting a hand over her heart, Alice said, "Geeze Ace, you scared me! Why would you do that?"

"I was just trying to prove a point Alice. You can never be to careful in Wonderland. You should know that by now." Ace said in a bright voice, a grin stretched across his face.

"I thought that the Clock Tower was neutral territory though." Alice's brow furrowed as she spoke.

"Well, that may be true, but some people here don't really care about what is neutral and what is not. Some people will do anything to get their hands on you or assassinate you, and lines of territory will not be regarded at those times." Ace said, thinking of a certain Hatter, as well as a few faceless people in the nearby village.

"Alright Ace, I promise I promise I'll be more alert." Alice vowed, however; something told Ace that even though Alice's vow was sincere, she would still be the same spaced out girl that she was.

Changing the subject of conversation, Ace asked, "So what brings you down this hallway Alice?"

"Well, it was still night when I woke up. So I decided to explore the Clock Tower. What are you doing here Ace?"

"That's a funny story. You see, I was looking for Julius to discuss work, but he wasn't in his usual room. I assumed he was out on one of the balconies, so I went searching for him, and got lost."

_Typical Ace_. Alice thought as she shook her head.

Suddenly, a thought Alice had while looking at the picture of the girl behind her rushed back to her, and she decided Ace may be able to answer her question. "Ace, the girl in this picture seems to be out of place. I would have thought she would be one of the many Queens, but she's over here with the Clock Makers. Why is that, and who is she?"

Ace looked up at the picture Alice was referring to, and a small sad smile touched his face, as he recalled old memories of the silver haired girl.

"I'll answer your questions backwards Alice, since it will be easier to understand. Her name was Nevermore. She was an assistant to the Clock Maker before Julius came to be Clock Maker, and she helped Julius when he was first starting off. Nevermore was the only person of Wonderland to have a heart, without being an outsider." Ace said with a misty tone, his expression was glazed.

"What? How is that possible?" Alice practically shouted in amazement.

"Whoa! Calm down Alice." Ace said, holding his hands up in front of his chest. "It's quite a long story and it is a rather touchy subject around here."

"Oh come on Ace! It's not like there's anything else to do right now, and we can go to my room so that no one will bother us or overhear the story." Alice pleaded, as she pouted her lip out.

Ace contemplated the situation he was in. He could either a) tell Alice he just couldn't share this story and have her become upset with him or b)he could tell Alice the story, risking the chance of Julius finding out and killing him for it.

Oh, what a predicament Ace had. However, no matter how illogical telling this story was, a large part of Ace wanted to tell Nevermore's story. Seeing her picture again had brought back a lot of memories he thought he had suppressed long ago. Some were fun and merry, while others were terribly painful and still haunted him in his sleep sometimes.

Taking a deep breathe, Ace said, "Alright Alice, I will tell you Nevermore's story, so long as you do not tell a single soul what you hear."

"I promise Ace," Alice said with a smile. "Now, shall we go to my room?"

"We shall, Dear Alice." Ace stated, while Alice led the way out of the hallway and to her room.

About five minutes later, Ace and Alice were seated comfortably on two luxurious arm chairs in Alice's room. There was a light silence, as Ace tried to pull his thoughts together. Alice fiddled with the hem of her dress, as she waited patiently for Ace to start talking.

Finally, Ace felt content with how he was going to start talking about Nevermore, and caught Alice's attention by saying, "There are a few things you need to about Nevermore before I actually begin to tell the tale of her life.

First of all, Nevermore was never really a happy person. As you saw in the portrait of her, she would never truly smile. She was tragically beautiful in both her appearance and personality, so not many people spoke with her. Therefore, she found little to be happy about. If you could make smile truly though it was a magnificent sight to behold.

I was fortunate enough to see her happy three times. Twice when she was with Julius, and once when she was working on the clocks here. The only person to have seen her happy more times than I did would be Julius.

The only other thing you need to know is that this story is just as much about Julius as it is about Nevermore. So you will discover a new part of him in this story. Some things you may not believe and others may cause you to become angry at Julius, but know that everything he did, he did for Nevermore.

Now do you have any questions before I start?"

"No." Alice said, a glint of eagerness shone in her eyes, "Please continue Ace."

"Alright then, let me take you back to the day she was born. Just remember as you here this story, it is true. Now let me begin with the story of a girl…"

**Hmmmm... Cuz I've never used Nevermore before... There's a different reason for her name this time though so yeah you'll see that in chap 2.**

**Tell me what ya think, and I am working on Quothe and Fighting so they're not done yet, I just had a stroke of story and wrote it.**

**If you guys like the story I'll continue if not it'll be a longer time for me to update.**

**Well stay tuned folks!**

**Kthnxbai!**

**Aya  
**


	2. The River Lullaby

Evalyn Von Tumpette sat somberly on her bed in Wonderland's Clover Tower. She held a small pink bundle in her arms which contained her newborn daughter. An unpleasant aura filled the new mother as she thought of the conversation she had with the young incubus Nightmare only hours ago.

_~Flashback~_

"_What do you mean I cannot take my daughter back to my world?" A very stressed Evalyn shouted, her hormones raging from being in labor for nearly ten hours._

"_I mean exactly what I said. Your daughter cannot leave Wonderland. It's quite simple really." Nightmare said calmly, not quite understanding what was so hard for Evalyn to comprehend._

"_Why not?" Evalyn asked._

_Nightmare sighed deeply, putting a hand to his forehead before saying, "Because Evalyn, that's not how the game works. Your daughter was born in Wonderland, thus she is a citizen here and cannot leave. She's not an outsider."_

"_B-but she has a heart!" Evalyn argued, tears forming in her blue eyes. "If she's truly a citizen of Wonderland, then wouldn't she have a clock instead?"_

"_Not necessarily. You see, your daughter is a very special case. Since she was not conceived by someone from Wonderland, she cannot have a clock. She will be the only citizen of Wonderland to ever have a heart." Nightmare explained._

_A chilling silence was cast throughout the room at that moment. Nightmare walked over to the young woman, sorrow filling his entire body, as he placed a hand on her shoulder and said, "I'm so sorry Evalyn. I know this must be very hard for you."_

_Tears spilled from Evalyn's eyes, as she whispered, "Can I at least see her?"_

_Nightmare gave a short nod, before he left the room to go get the small child._

_~Flashback Over~_

Small sobs racked Evalyn's body, as she looked down at her baby. Soft white hair topped her head and her large doe eyes were a haunting crimson color. The baby gurgled softly, which pressed something in Evalyn to sing one of the lullabies her mother would sing to her when she was little.

_Hush now, my babyBe still love, don't crySleep like you're rocked by the streamSleep and rememberMy lullabyAnd I'll be with you when you dreamDrift on a riverThat flows through my armsDrift as I'm singing to youI see you smilingSo peaceful and calmAnd holding you, I'm smiling, tooHere in my armsSafe from all harmHolding you, I'm smiling, tooHush now, my babyBe still, love, don't crySleep like you're rocked by the streamSleep and remember this river lullabyAnd I'll be with you when you dreamI'll be with you when you dream_

When she had finished, Evalyn's daughter was asleep, and a small smile played on her lips.

"Your voice is beautiful." A velvety male voice said.

Looking up, Evalyn saw a man around his mid thirties standing in the doorway. Her eyes widened, as she said, "Oh my! I'm sorry I didn't expect you to get here so soon Malachi."

A smile spread across the man's face as he said, "It's alright dear Evalyn, but I wonder why you have requested my presence during this time."

"Well, I am sure you've heard by now that I gave birth to my daughter." Evalyn stated.

"Yes? What of it?" Malachi asked curiously.

"I-I can't take her back with me." Evalyn whispered, "And I wanted to know if you would take care of her when I leave."

"Why me?" Malachi asked, his violet eyes widened, as he stared incredulously at the young woman in front of him.

"Because I know you will keep her safe. I trust you more than anyone else I've met here, even if you are an Undertaker of sorts!" Evalyn said, tears streaming from her eyes. "Please Malachi, I need you to do this for me!"

There was a pregnant silence in the room for a few minutes, before Wonderland's Clock Maker made his way toward Evalyn's bed, and looked at the small child in Evalyn's arms.

Malachi's eyes widened at how small and fragile the child looked. Never before had he seen something so wonderfully beautiful and majestically delicate (that is if you don't include the clocks he worked on everyday).

"Would you like to hold her?" Evalyn asked, as she shifted the babe so that Malachi could take her.

Nodding his head lightly, Malachi gently took the child, and held her close to him.

Somehow feeling the shift between people, the child opened her crimson eyes, and looked up curiously at Malachi. A sense of unease filled Malachi and he was about to hand the baby back to her mother, when the child reached up a small hand and latched it onto some of his maroon hair smiling gleefully as she did.

It was at that moment that Malachi fell in love with the child, and knew he would do anything for the baby. Looking back at Evalyn, he whispered, "Have you picked a name for her yet?"

"Yes, her name shall be Nevermore." Evalyn said confidently.

"Why is that?" Malachi queried.

"Because after today I will see her nevermore." Evalyn responded.

"I see." Malachi said quietly. "You know she has your looks."

"Ah, but she has her father's eyes." Evalyn said quietly. "Malachi, I think it is time for me to leave. Please take good care of my daughter."

"I will Evalyn, I promise." Malachi said, as he looked at the young woman with a comforting smile.

"Thank you." Evalyn whispered through tears and a smile. And as quickly as she had come to Wonderland, Evalyn left in a bright light, leaving Malachi alone with her one and only treasure, Nevermore.

**I dunno how I feel about this chapter...**

**I'm not particularly fond of it but eh... Whatever works.**

**So I'm going to answer a few questions people may have.**

**Nightmare's age is unknown, but personally I think he's a few centuries old, that's why he knows so much about the game.**

**Malachi is the present clock maker, and Julius will come in probably the next chapter as his apprentice.**

**So yeah that's aboot it.**

**Anyway Review and read. and thanks to those that did review and fave and alert this story.**

**Au revoir,**

**Aya  
**


	3. Loathing

_What is this feeling so sudden and new?_

_I felt the moment I laid eyes on you._

_My pulse is rushing, _

_My head is reeling,_

_My face is flushing!_

_What is it feeling?_

_Fervid as a flame does it have a name?_

_Yes…_

_Loathing!_

_Unadulterated loathing!_

_For your face,_

_Your voice,_

_Your clothing!_

_Let's just say… I loath it all!_

_Every little trait however small_

_Makes my very flesh begin to crawl!_

_We're simple utter loathing!_

_~What is This Feeling from Wicked_

Ten years passed since Evalyn left Wonderland, and as time went on most of the role holders forgot who she was. Malachi, however; remembered the young woman very well, and could see her in Nevermore very well.

The ten year old was only about four foot five, which was taller than the average Wonderland girl. Her snow white hair rested just under her collar bone, however she normally had it tied up in a bun or high ponytail.

It was actually rather interesting how close Malachi and Nevermore had become. He treated as if she was his own, but at the same time he did not hide the fact she was not his child. Nevermore knew very well that she was different from everyone in Wonderland, seeing as she knew her heart was different from everyone else's, however; at the same time Nevermore felt as though she was a part of this confusing world.

At this time Malachi was around forty-six and though he had been training Nevermore in repairing the clocks, he knew his true apprentice would reveal him or herself at any moment. That moment happened to be a wonderful afternoon in late March.

It was a typical day for Nevermore. Malachi had gone out to go retrieve more clocks that had stopped, while Nevermore sat behind his desk, fixing a few clocks while she waited for him to return. A soft sigh escaped the ten year old's mouth, and she flicked her crimson eyes to the grandfather clock opposite herself.

_It's almost two thirty. Malachi is normally here by now. I wonder what's taking so long._ Nevermore thought, as she went back to tightening a screw on the clock she was fixing. Very softly Nevermore began to hum a lullaby she heard only in her sleep, when she dreamed of a woman she was certain was her mother would sing to her while stroking her ivory locks.

Nevermore was so wrapped up in her thoughts and work, that she didn't even notice Malachi had returned. A smile broke out on his aged face, as he noticed the tune Nevermore was humming.

Shaking himself out of his reverie, Malachi cleared his throat to get Nevermore's attention. The girl's head snapped up at the sound, red orbs wide at the possibility of an intruder.

Upon seeing the maroon haired man, Nevermore smiled warmly, saying, "Welcome home, Malachai."

"It's good to be home, Nevermore." Malachai responded, as the young girl got up from her seat behind the desk, and came to stand in front of him.

"Did you bring back a lot of clocks?" Nevermore asked, curiosity alight on her face.

"I'm afraid so child." Malachai said, as he handed the girl a sapphire blue bag that was filled with broken clocks.

Nevermore very gingerly took the bag and set it down on the cherry wood desk. "I'm so sorry you had to stop." The girl whispered sorrowfully to the clocks.

Malachai looked at the scene in front of him and wasn't happy at about the sad look on Nevermore's face. As if a realization hit him, the man said, "Nevermore there's something else I brought back from my mission."

"What is it?" Nevermore asked, distracted from her sorrow for now.

"It's a surprise. Now close your eyes child." Malachai said, as he turned back towards the door and exited the room.

Nevermore did as instructed. Excitement and anxiety coursed through her, as she thought of all the things it could possibly be that Malachai brought with him.

Three minute passed since Malachai had told Nevermore to close her eyes, and the girls was growing highly impatient.

"Malachai can I look now." The girl huffed out.

"Patience child. I thought I taught you things were more rewarding when you have to wait for them." The old man snickered, as he entered the room again.

"Not when you have to keep your eyes closed." Nevermore retorted.

Malachai rolled his emerald green eyes, before saying, "You can look now."

Nevermore opened her eyes and was shocked at the sight before her. For standing next to Malachai was a boy roughly her age, with midnight blue hair pulled into a pony tail, gray eyes, and porcelain skin.

Nevermore's puzzled red eyes stared into the boy's equally curious glance and before either child had a chance to say something, Malachai spoke.

"Nevermore, this is Julius Monery. He is my apprentice and will one day take over my place. Julius, this is Nevermore. She is my ward and assistant."

A bit hesitant, Nevermore bowed her head and mock curtsied, saying, "It's nice to meet you Julius."

Julius stared blankly at Nevermore for almost five minutes after she said something to him. This made the girl highly uncomfortable, and she fidgeted with the hem of her violet dress.

"Well aren't you going to say something?" Nevermore asked, a little exasperated.

Julius continued to stare indifferently at the girl a moment more, before saying, "I don't know what it is you do here, just don't get in my way." With that the boy exited the room.

Malachai started stunned at what had just happened, while Nevermore's normally calm visage grew red from anger.

"Why I never!" Nevermore started, as she stormed out of the room after Julius, mumbling under her breath as she went along.

Malachai blinked a moment, before a small smile spread across his face. _I hope Julius is prepared to face an angry Nevermore._ He thought, walking to his desk so that he could work on his clocks.

"That's so mean!" Alice exclaimed, as Ace paused in his story telling. "I can't believe Julius would say something like that!"

"Oh, that's nothin'. Just wait until you hear what Nevermore did in retaliation." Ace responded. Mischief hidden in his reddish-brown eyes.

"But Nevermore seems so docile. How could she ever do anything ill-mannered?" Alice asked quizzically.

"I guess you'll just have to wait and find out won't you?" Ace countered.

"Please continue then." Alice pleaded.

"Alright, alright already!" Ace exclaimed, before he took a deep breath and continued to tell Nevermore's story.

**Hey y'all! I actually updated something! It took me awhile I know, but at least it's finally here! To let you guys know why I haven't updated anything in a good while, I will tell you what I've been doing. Last summer I was contemplating my entire existence and what I wanted to do with my life. I realized I wanted to get super involved with things in college 1) because it's the smart thing to do and 2) my dad is over seas and I needed to get my mind off of that. Thusly I haven't had time for anything, nor have I been inspired to write any of my fics… Any who, I should be updating a bit more and so things will be all groovy! See y'all in the future! **

**Aya ;) **


	4. Kill Kitty

_Revenge bent psychos, Senile and Dangerous_

_Kill Kitty, Kill kitty, Kill!_

_I'm on a mission to be malicious_

_Kill Kitty, Kill Kitty, Kill!_

_In God we trust, shit ain't fair_

_Kill Kitty, Kill Kitty, Kill!_

_It's all a fraud, I DON'T CARE!_

_~Kill Kitty by Angelspit_

It hadn't taken Nevermore long to find Julius. Knowing the clock tower as well as she did, (and knowing Malachai probably showed Julius around the Tower), she knew exactly where he would be going. His room.

Or he would at the very least be attempting to find it. With Malachai's description of the tower's layout, she knew it would have been a matter of minutes before the boy got lost.

In fact, she could tell from the way he was looking around that he already seemed to be uncertain of where he was. A small smirk formed on the girl's lips, as a her plan for revenge slowly started to formulate in her head.

Slowly approaching Julius, Nevermore put on an award winning smile, she said, "Hello Julius!"

The boy's head snapped around to look at the girl. His aura swiftly turning from confusion to irritation upon seeing her.

A nasty scowl covered his features, as he said, "What do you want?"

"Oh nothing really." Nevermore responded, gently batting her long raven eyelashes and clasping her hands behind her back. "I just thought you might like a better tour of the Tower. Malachai doesn't really give the best description of it's layout, and I know my way around better than he does seeing as I'm normally stuck here all day."

Her voice was sickeningly sweet, making Julius cringe from disgust. Though he truly did not want to be anywhere near the girl, Julius couldn't deny that he was having some difficulty navigating his way around.

Very cautiously, Julius said, "I suppose I could use some help."

"Of course you could. Now follow me." Nevermore said, before briskly walking forward, chatting idly about the tower's in and outs.

Julius didn't pay much attention to the girl's incessant babbling, not finding much value in it. He did however, take this time to study the girl.

The one thing the boy had to admit was the girl was tragically beautiful. With her snow white hair, and her blood red eyes. Her skin was a ghostly white color on which her lush pink lips popped out on. Her crimson dress contrasted wonderfully with her skin, and the boy assumed it only made her look paler than what she actually was.

Yes, the girl was pretty if anything, but there was something about her that seemed to put him off. Maybe it was that she lived here in the Clock Tower, and she wasn't the rightful heir to the title of Clock Maker. No, that would one day be his title. He would be the one to tend to the Clock Tower, (what ever that meant). Not this trollop of a girl. Julius would make sure of that.

A possible thought that did cross his mind though was that Nevermore could possibly be the next Queen of Hearts. It would make sense for her to be with her looks and her personality. It would even explain why she would be here instead of at Heart Castle. The Red Queen right now was bloody mad, making any excuse to execute someone. He could only imagine the lengths the Queen would go to, to kill her successor.

Yes, that must be the answer! A satisfied smirk graced his lips, as he thought of how the girl would be gone once the Queen of Hearts was dead.

"Are you even listening to me?" Nevermore queried impatiently, pulling Julius from his thoughts.

He hadn't noticed that they had stopped walking, nor did he have any clue as to what Nevermore had said before that question. He wouldn't admit to that though, and said, "Of course."

"What did I say then?" Nevermore challenged, quirking a thing white brow.

Julius froze, not knowing what to say in response to that.

Nevermore on the other hand slowly smirked, before saying, "That's what I thought. Now, I had said this is your room. My room is next door and Malachai's is at the end of the hall. If you need anything, you can knock on my door or go to the repair shop. That's normally where I am. Most importantly though and the number one thing you should live by is to beware the Jabberwock."

"I beg pardon?" Julius said, not quite understanding if he had heard the girl right.

"I said you must beware the Jabberwock." Nevermore said, as if she were talking to a two year old.

"There's no such thing." Julius replied hastily.

"How would you know?" Nevermore asked.

"Because Jabberwocks are stories parents tell to their children, so that they'll behave. They don't really exist."

"Have you ever met one?"

"Well, no, but-"

"Then how do you know they aren't real?"

"They just aren't! Besides it isn't like you've ever met one."

"Oh, but I have."

"I don't believe you."

"Believe what you will, but I have seen a Jabberwock before, and they are everything the stories say and more. In fact the Jabberwock quite often comes out around the Tower." Nevermore said, a quite frightening grin on her face, before continuing. "Now, I'm going to my room, I bid you adieu. Oh, and remember, beware the Jabberwock!"

With that, Nevermore left a slightly stunned and frightened Julius at his bedroom door.

**Tada! Chapter four... Anyway I hope y'all like it. My dad is back from overseas. Yay! I'll try to post more! Thanks for the reviews and faves!**

**~Aya~**


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